Spiritually: Isaiah 40:29-31 29 He gives power to the weak and
strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and
tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust
in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Through faith, God will give me new
strength. I know that is referring to spiritual strength, but I don’t think it
is stretching Scripture to also trust the Lord for emotional and physical
strength. If I’ve let my body do what it wanted to for a long time, understandably,
it will take some time and God’s strength to bring it back to control. It will
also take God’s strength to keep my
flesh in control. The promise remains…I can be strong in the LORD rather than my own strength.
Mentally: So far,
you have increased your understanding of interval training, core training, and
antioxidants. Maybe you’ve been doing all or part of this plan and are seeing
good improvement in habits. Nice!
If you have begun to let it slide and
have that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that says, “I’ll never be
able to keep this up three months from now…” do this. Just back off in
intensity for a day or two or a few days, even a week.
I spoke one day to a very fit and
healthy older person and asked him, “How long do you plan on working out like
this?” I’ll never forget his reply, “Oh, I’ll never stop; this is a way of life
for me.” The greatest challenge I face is to change my thinking to something
like,“I’ll fight muscle atrophy and
unhealthy fat storage on my body all my life one day at a time…” and then
change my habits to match that ideal.
When I
back off of intensity and simply focus on the habit of getting myself regularly
in an environment for some kind of exercise – even if it is just walking – I
win the habit battle for that day. Nearly every time I do that my body takes
over and says, “Oh well, we’re here,
might as well work out…” It really works!
Here’s a little video that is well worth
the 10 minutes it takes to watch. It is great encouragement to do the one thing
most of us can all do a few times a week. This is low intensity and helps when
you just don’t have it for the higher intensity interval training.
There are many studies confirming that
just walking one mile (or 30 minutes) a few times a week will prevent type 2
diabetes (58%); strengthen the heart, bones, joints and muscles; help your
brain; reduce depression (47%) and cancer risk (18% for breast cancer alone). If you’re still not convinced check this out…
Schedule: If you are sore, knock off the high intensity
regimen and walk 30 minutes 4 or 5 times this week. Let your body recover but stay in the habit
of doing some kind of exercise.
If you are not sore, then this week you
might challenge yourself to try my 50s workout.
You can do it 2-4 times this week.
It is really simple. It doesn’t
matter what exercise you do or which machines you use, just do 50 reps with as
little rest as you can manage.
When I crossed 40 years of age, I
noticed I kept hurting myself on heavier weights. Then I’d have to rehab for
several weeks – sometimes several months. I finally figured out that I was
going too heavy too fast. So, I increased my reps significantly.
Now, my first rep on any machine is never
less than 20. I only go up slightly for the next 10-15 reps. By then I’ve got
plenty of blood flowing through that muscle group I’m working and can go
heavier for the last 10-15 reps. Remember,
no rest, or at least minimal rest in-between. Your goal is 50 straight – not
the conventional “3 sets” most people promote.
This regimen has not only prevented
injury but has helped rehab previous injuries. Wish I’d figured this out a long
time ago. Not only is it a safer workout than the standard “3 sets of 6-10 reps
going heavier each time,” but – if you minimize rest through your 50 – will
give you quite a bit of aerobic value in your workout.
You can do 50s with machines or body
weight exercises like pushups, pull ups, etc. There are so many machines and
exercises. Just figure out what will isolate each muscle group without
unnatural pain given your current strength, health, body type and injury
status. I try to do 50s on all the muscle groups with as little rest between
machines as possible. Don’t go more than 40-50 minutes or so. Get in and get out so you’ll go tomorrow and
keep building positive habits.
Eating: Alright, here’s the biggie. Conquering the
hunger monster. There is one thing that has helped me more than anything in getting
to and maintaining healthy body weight.
After organized sports were over for me in my 20s, I noticed the
familiar tire developing around my waist. So I played more basketball. When I
was 30, my knees couldn’t take recreational basketball any more, so I started
running. I ate more, so I had to run more…ad infinity. You know the story.
Eventually my knees and back didn’t like
the running either. Then I went to machines. I was a regular hamster or gerbil constantly
running on a wheel. The more I ate the
more I had to get on a machine to work it off. And, I was losing the battle –
both mentally and physically. “Ah, what’s the use?” I began to think.
Then I found protein. I knew about
protein from sports and body building but I didn’t
include it strategically in my diet – on purpose.
What I was doing was trying to fight
hunger. Most diets are about eating less. Of course pushing away from the table
is part of the equation. However, if you
really want to win this battle…eat reasonable amounts of quality protein before
anything else. Then your desire for other not-so-good-for-you foods (cake, ice
cream, bad breads, etc.) will significantly lessen. And, those foods are the major cause of
unwanted weight gains.
The rule of thumb is, “Don’t fight hunger – feed it with what your
body is craving – high quality proteins.”
Then the hunger will not only subside but will stay away for much longer
periods of time.
My dentist got me on oatmeal in the
morning. Oatmeal – not the “quick oats”
in paper bags – but the old fashioned Quaker Oats that your gut has to work
hard to digest. That’s the oatmeal that has good protein and makes your body
work to assimilate it. I prepare it with skim milk, honey and cinnamon. And, it
is fast. Microwaves cook it in 2
minutes, it cools for 3 minutes, and 5 minutes to eat it. Elementary, but don’t overlook the benefits, which
are mainly that you won’t get hungry until late morning or even noon – meaning,
you just beat hunger for half the day!
I also use green protein and whey
protein. Green is better because it is plant protein, but I also like a scoop
of chocolate protein in milk before or after a workout. If you’re like me when
I get hungry, I’ll eat anything on the table and then want to chew on the
table. So I’ve learned to think ahead to ward off ravaging hunger with
protein.
Protein is also found in high
concentrations in many plants. People poke fun at “rabbit food” (salads, nuts,
berries, and fruits), but I’ve yet to see a slow, overweight rabbit! Nuts,
berries, lean meats, etc. are all great sources of great proteins and good
kinds of fat. I throw all that in my
salads with raisins and some dressing with extra virgin olive oil (more omegas).
Anyhow, you get the idea…feed hunger
first with protein then eat other foods if you still need or want. Here is a
great shake. Of course, modify it to suit your tastes and needs. There are
reasons for each ingredient but you can look up the health benefits on your own
if you’re interested…
6 - 8 ounces of skim milk (can do water but I don’t like it with just water.)
5 tablespoons whey protein isolate. I use
this one. 5 lbs last me 6-10 months for
about $50…
2 tablespoons natural apple cider vinegar with the mother (health
food store, Wal-mart doesn’t carry this)
2 heaping tablespoons of yogurt
Couple sprinklings of cinnamon
1 tablespoon flaxseed oil (good fats packed with omegas!)
1 tablespoon safflower oil (good fats packed with omegas!)
2 tablespoons (or more) soy lecithin
1 teaspoon MSM powder (if I don’t have it already as a vitamin pill supplement)
1 teaspoon glutamine powder (If I’ve been working out)
Cup or more of frozen mixed fruit like blueberries, strawberries, etc. Find what
you like. I love bananas but gag on this shake with banana for some reason. Frozen
blueberries work the best for me.
Blend in a blender, but put the milk and
frozen fruit in first so the powder doesn’t clog the blender.
Report: I did
not want to go workout this morning at all.
But just getting there seeing others work out stepped up my motivation,
and I got in a good intense workout. Stepping back and taking time to review
your goals one evening this week before you go to bed will also help to give
you the motivation to continue toward progress.
Who have you given permission to to ask you about your habits? Have fun!
The information contained in this blog is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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